Monday Memo November 2, 2015
Inspiring Passionate Learners
Important Dates
11/03- Meet Ms. Catherine Bell at the Re-zoning Meeting- PCE Cafeteria 7:00
11/04- B.H.S. Spirit Day- wear Red and Black
11/04- 4th & 2nd Grades Power PLC
11/04- Staff Meeting with Ms. Perkins and Ms. Sargent
11/05- 2nd Grade Music Program @ 6:30 p.m.
11/06- End of Second Six-Weeks
11/06- Hawkeye Teacher of the Year Celebration on Morning Announcements
11/06- Spirit Store on the Stage
11/07- Pride Choir Performance to Welcome Santa at Stonebriar Mall @ 9:00 a.m.
11/09- Beginning of Third Six-Weeks
11/09- Grades Input by Noon in TAC
11/11- Report Cards Go Home
11/11- Veteran's Day- Wear Red, White and Blue
11/11- Kinder & 3rd Grades Power PLC
11/12- Staff Celebration Meeting & Assessment Literacy Learning
11/17- PTA General Meeting @ 7:00 p.m.
11/18- College Shirts and Jeans
11/18- 1st Grade Power PLC
11/19- Thanksgiving Feast Potluck- Sign- Up in Workroom
11/23-11/27- Thanksgiving Break
Tip of the Week from the 2 Sisters
How Amazing Our Schools Could Be
Joan Moser
Have you ever heard a statement or been part of a conversation that resonated so strongly, it refused to let go of its grip on your heart and head? I recently had one of those conversations with Rose Marie Colwell, a teacher from Glenbrook School in Alberta, Canada. Rose Marie disclosed that at his bedside, her ill father encouraged her to live life fully and go back to school, pursuing her longtime dream of being a teacher. So at the age of 49, she left a successful career as an accountant and headed back to school.
As Rose Marie moved into her new career, she drew on one of the most important lessons learned during her years as a successful accountant and manager: all decisions made and business conducted was with the goal of meeting the needs of clients and serving them to the best of her ability. This mindset was woven into the fabric of her being. As a teacher, she focuses all decisions through the filter of best ways to meet student needs. Imagine her sense of disequilibrium when she encountered decisions and rules made within education systems that appeared to be made far away from the context of the best way to serve children.
As Rose Marie explained, she loves her students, has found success with Daily 5, and is always learning how to better meet her children's varied needs. Yet, she pondered, how much better could the education system be if all decisions, processes, and rules were made the same way as her accounting firm, with the single goal of best meeting the needs of the people we serve—children?
I can't quit thinking about Rose Marie. I too wonder how much stronger and more effective all education systems in the world would be if each decision made by every person in the system, whether working directly or indirectly with students, was filtered through how we can best meet the needs of children. I can only imagine how amazing it could be.
Success Feedback from Mead and Mills
Braswell High School Spirit Day
Are your students asking what the Class of.... banners mean? Please take time to let them in on the secret. This is Bengal Country! They are on their way to being future Bengals. Encourage students to wear red and black this Wednesday!